How To Shop Like A Fashion Consultant

How To Shop Like A Fashion Consultant

Welcome to "My Life In Credits," a fun and informative fill-in-the-blank Q&A with our favorite people. Have some questions of your own for our fashion friends? Sound off in the comments. We'll be sure to get them on the ledger for the next round. For now, find out what fashion consultant Roopal Patel is obsessing over this season.

Photo: Courtesy of Roopal Patel.

Roopal Patel's fashion credentials precede her, so it only makes sense that her wardrobe would, too. With gigs ranging from senior fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman to mentor for CFDA's Incubator program to freelance fashion consultant, she's no new kid to the playground runway. She counts Prabal Gurung as a valued client and friend, and she has more designer goodies in a single drawer than most do in their entire wardrobe. Intrigued? Click through to eye up her must-have beauty picks (hint: lots of moisturizer), the novelty ring she can't seem to take off, and the under-$100 palm-print clutch she won't travel without. (And, for further sartorial digest, look no further than Roopal's Instagram feed, @Roopal_Patel.)

Hands down, the best purchase I've made abroad... Some of the best costume jewelry I own was bought during my travels in India. I paid $5 for a fully blinged-out Deco pendant that people are constantly mistaking for real.

My secret shopping destination is just a hop, skip, and a continent (or two) away... I'm always finding things over holiday and on vacation. My entire beach wardrobe is constructed from local shops and artisans.

The last gift I bought was... A lemlem cover-up I purchased for Linda Fargo's birthday.

My travel-bag game is pretty intense...
I travel so much these days, so I've got packing down to a science. I use T. Antony for my carry-on luggage and checked suitcase. Everything else I fit into pouches: Reece Hudson's black quilted clutch is perfect for storing my headphones, lip balm, and hand cream while on the flight. As for my jewelry and other small valuables, I keep them in this colorful palm-print clutch. And, the rest of my tech gadgets are stashed in a sleek, leather RTH pouch.

If I was chased by the paparazzi, I'd like to be wearing... One of Rosie Assoulin's colorblock gowns!

The one item I've owned longer than anything else in my closet... A gold ID bracelet that my parents bought me for my fifth-grade graduation. It has my name engraved on it. It still fits me today, and I wear it with the Verdura Greta Garbo bracelet my parents bought me for my 30th birthday.